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CHILDREN'S BOOK
COLLECTION

LIBRARY OF THE

NIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

THE

LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK,

THE 'LITTLE FOLKS"

PAINTING BOOK

A SERIES OF

OUTLINE ENGRAVINGS FOR WATER-COLOUR PAINTING,
BY KATE GREENAWAY,

WITH DESCRIPTIVE STORIES AND VERSES BY GEORGE WEA.THERLY.

CASSELL FETTER & GALPIN

LONDON, PARIS § NEW YORK.

FIVE LITTLE EHYMES 10

A NUTTING SONG 12

SUNBEAM, HILARY, AND LACRYMOSUS 14

THE OWL'S ADVICE 16

THEEE LITTLE PISHES "... 18

WONDERLAND 18

THE EAVEN'S RIDDLE : A TALE OF MAGIC AND MEANING ... 20

A YOUNG TURK 28

A WONDERFUL PIE 30

A TEA-PARTY 30

THE CHILDREN'S PATIENT 32

THE CAT AND THE CARROT 34

THE FAIRY FLOWER 36

A PAGE OF PORTRAITS ' 38

LOST AND FOUND: THE STORY OF A WONDERFUL JOURNEY 40

THREE PET FROGS 50

To A FISH 52

OVER THE SEA 52

THE EAST WIND 54

THE BRIDGE OF DEE 54

LITTLE Miss PRIDE ... .56

yi CONTENTS.

A DOLL'S WEDDING 56

THE POT AND THE KETTLE 58

HBT, DIDDLE, DIDDLE: .^ 58

THE GNOMES 60

THE SETTING SUN 62

THE SAD STOET OF LITTLE TOM TATLOE 64

FATHEE WILLIAM: A NEW VEESION 64

PRIDE COMES BEFOBE A PALL 66

IN SBAECH OF PLATLAND 72

MBS. MOUSE'S TEA-PAETT ... 82

LITTLE CAVALIERS 82

WHERE Two WATS MEET 86

Two YOUNG CEUSOES 86

A EHTME IN SEASON 88

GETTING UP 90

MISCHIEVOUS DICK 90

THE STOET OF FASTIDIUS AND MISEERIMA 92

GOOD-BTE . 96

THE " LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK is
essentially what its title implies — a book of
pictures, to be coloured by young people. The
majority of the sketches, which exceed a
hundred in number, are in outline, and all
are especially adapted for painting in water-
colours. The Frontispiece has been coloured
by hand, to show in some measure how the
rest of- the book may be painted. It is, of course, apparent
that, in a book of this description, the talents of young artists
must be chiefly directed to the fitting choice of colours, and
their harmonious arrangement.

viii PREFACE.

But it was felt that such a Painting Book might well be
more than a mere book of pictures : that the illustrations might
with advantage be accompanied by stories and verses, which
should serve a double purpose, being both explanatory of the
characters and incidents, and therefore useful to the young
artist, and at the same time interesting to readers, who might
not themselves be engaged in colouring the pictures. The
book, therefore, assumed its present form, and it is hoped
that the stories and verses herein contained may have some
enduring interest of their own, apart altogether from the
original purpose of the book.

Two of [the stories, i.e., " The Eaven's Eiddle : a Tale of
Magic and Meaning; " and " Lost and Found : The Story of
a Wonderful Journey," have already appeared in a modified
form in " LITTLE FOLKS" Magazine. The remaining stories
and verses are published now for the first time.

It remains to mention that Special Prize Competitions for
colouring this book have been instituted in connection with
" LITTLE FOLKS " Magazine, in which Prizes in Money and
Medals in Silver and Bronze are offered for competition. A
noteworthy feature of the scheme consists in the fact that all
coloured books sent to the Editor of the Magazine will, at
the close of the Competition, be distributed among the little
sick inmates of the Children's Hospitals. It is hoped that by

PREFACE.

this means some thousands of Picture Books — more attractive
than Scrap Albums, and especially interesting as having been
coloured by children — may be provided for the amusement
of little ones during their weary hours in the hospital. Full
particulars of these Competitions are announced in the number
of " LITTLE FOLKS " Magazine for March, 1879.

N.B. — At the end of this Book will be found full directions for mixing
colours, &c. These are published in connection with the " LITTLE FOLKS " Fine
Art Moist Colour Box, which has been prepared specially for this book.

THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

FIVE LITTLE RHYMES.

LITTLE lass and laddie there,
Blowing bubbles light as
air

All the day ;
Is there nothing you can

do?

Nothing noble, nothing true,
In your way 1

"Work there is for every

one !

Duties you have left un-
done

Wait you still !
Do your duty ; do the right :
Then blow bubbles fairy-light
If you will.

Three little boys,

So chubby and neat,
Sat on a doorstep,

Out in the street ;
Each of them wishing, as boys will

do,.

Wishing for something wondrous
and new.

Three little boys,

Grown old and grey,
Sitting at home

On a winter's day;
Each of them wishing, still wishing,

alas !

For something that never would
come to pass.

Right ! left ! Right ! left ! point your toes so merrily !

Right ! left ! Right ! left ! keeping time so cheerily !

With cheery hearts and faces gay, Speed the merry hours away !

Butterfly, butterfly, on a sun-
flower,

What are you doing, I pi-ay ?
Come here and whisper, if you have

the power,

Where you have been to-day.
And where did you hide from the

force of the shower 1
And when are you going away]

Two little old women sat working
one day!

Knit! knit! knit!
And one was cross and the other
was gay !

Knit ! knit ! knit !
While the hours and years run fast
away,

Flit ! flit ! flit !

12 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

A NUTTING SONG.

OH, but the nuts are so brown in the wood —
Out in the wood, the glad autumn wood —
And the children have trooped forth in rollicking mood,
Some clad in tippet and some clad in hood,
After the nuts so brown in the wood,
After the nuts so brown.

Oh, but the nuts are so ripe on the tree —

Up in the tree, the green hazel tree —
And bright little eyes smile the clusters to see,
And fat little hands clasp the branches with glee,

Seeking the nuts so ripe on the tree,
Seeking the nuts so brown.

Oh, but the nuts are so high on the bough —
Up on the bough, the heavy-branched bough —

And short little arms cannot get them, I trow !

" By hook or by crook" they are reaching them now,
Eeaching the nuts so high on the bough,
Beaching the nuts so brown.

Oh, but the nuts were so brown in the wood —

Out in the wood, the glad autumn wood —
And the children have trooped home in quieter mood,
Some of them fretful, and some of them good,
All of them laden with nuts from the wood,
Laden with nuts so brown.

14 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

SUNBEAM, HILARY, AND LACKYMOSUS.

THEY were brother and sisters, and when they were asleep
they were wonderfully like one another — the same eyes, and
nose, and mouth, the same fat ruddy cheeks. But when they
were awake you would not have guessed that they were
brother and sisters at all ! The truth was, that Hilary and
Sunbeam were always laughing, while their brother Lacry-
mosus was always crying. And therein lay the secret of their
changed faces asleep and awake ; for it's not very easy to
laugh or to cry when you're asleep, I can assure you.

Now it happened that one day, when Hilary and Sunbeam
and Lacrymosus were sitting on the garden wall, amusing
themselves in the usual way — namely, by laughing and crying —
they all three fell asleep, and they all dreamt the same strange
dream. They dreamt that they saw in the garden beneath
them a little boy and girl about their own age, but dressed in
quaint clothes of some long-ago time, and that one of them was
laughing and the other crying. But suddenly a queer little
sprite, looking very much like an inverted flower-pot, made his
appearance, and at sight of him both the children were awed
into silence. " Don't be afraid," said he, " but follow me !"
And immediately the scene changed, and they were standing
in the courtyard of a large castle, and were watching the antics
of a little girl who was dancing some strange dance with a
merry-looking old dame. At first the little girl's face was very
grave and solemn, but as she danced it grew brighter and
brighter, until at last she was positively laughing with glee,
and her eyes twinkled merrily. The children looked at the

16 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

flower-pot inquiringly, and he at once explained the matter.
" That little girl," he said, " was always grumbling and
crying when she was at home, and so she was sent here to
be taught to laugh and be merry in due season. But do you
see those five little girls in sugarloaf hats, who are walking up
and down on the terrace? Look at their downcast eyes and
grave faces ! Only a week ago they were the merriest of the
merry, and laughed and sang the whole day long ; but they
neglected their studies, and spent all their time in play, and
so they were sent here to learn to be solemn in season."

Dear me ! What was that ? The great church clock was
striking five, and Hilary, Sunbeam, and Lacrymosus were
awakened by the noise, and they all sat on the wall blinking
at one another. " I think I've been asleep," said Hilary.
" And so have I !" echoed Sunbeam. " And I too !" added
Lacrymosus. And what is more, they had been dreaming
too, but on that subject they were all very quiet. But,
strange to say, from that time they began to grow very like
one another when they were awake, and now it is commonly
said by their friends that they are "as like as three peas."

THE OWL'S ADVICE.

I WANT to look wise ! " said Maud one day ;

" I want to look clever and wise !"
" Oh ! oh !" said the owl, as he sat on a spray,

And blinked as in solemn surprise ;
" You had better by far remain as you are,

And learn to be clever and wise !"
Then echoed the birds as they sat in a row,
" You hear what he says ; you'd better, you know,

Just learn to be clever and wise !"

18 THE " LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

THEEE LITTLE FISHES.

THREE little fishes leapt in the sun,
Just as the joyous June day had begun :
Leapt in the sunshine and frolicked with glee,
Poor little three !

A glad little maiden sat in the sun —
Sat on the hridge when the day had begun,
Angling for fishes, large, small, or wee,
All she could see.

Three little fishes leapt in the sun,
Thinking the fishing was very great fun ;
" We're not to be caught ! oh no, not we ! "
"Wise little three !

Three little fishes leapt in the sun ;
The little lass hooked them one by one !
The bait was too tempting for them, you see,
Poor little three !

WONDERLAND.

HAVE you ever been to Wonderland, Would you like to go to Wonderland,

To Wonderland, to Wonderland ? To Wonderland, to Wonderland?

Have you ever seen the heroes grand — Then sit by me, and, book in liand,

The giants and gnomes, We'll read and read,

The fairy homes And be indeed

Of the dwellers in Wonderland? With the dwellers in Wonderland.

20 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE KAVEN'S KIDDLE.

A TALE OF MAGIC AND MEANING.

IT was a warm sunny afternoon in August, and Madge and
Mabel were wandering disconsolately round a large rambling
garden, while Nurse sat in an old-fashioned arm-chair on the
prim lawn and sipped her tea contentedly. Madge and Mabel
had been tired of lessons in the morning, and now, in the
afternoon, they were tired of play. Like " the old woman
who lived in a shoe " — though from a very different cause —
they " didn't know what to do ; " and Nurse, as she watched
them, soon saw what was the matter. " Come here, children,"
said she, " and I will read you a little story."

THE RAVEN'S RIDDLE.

" I can't make it out at all," said Toby, as he stood,
deep in thought, sucking his fat little thumb.

" Can't make what out? " croaked the raven at his feet.

Toby looked down in surprise when the bird spoke ; he was
so astonished that he did not know how to reply. But the
raven only looked at him calmly, and again croaked forth,
"Can't make what out?"

" It's just this," said Toby at length : " "Why are some
people so happy, having all they want, and with nice things
to eat every day ? and why am I so miserable, getting nothing
but porridge ? It's just that ! " wound up Toby, looking
fixedly at the raven, as though he had set him a poser.

" Ha ! ha ! " croaked the raven. " I'll give you a riddle,

-S ^r

22 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

and when you've found it out, you'll have found the answer
to your question also : —

' Gold, gold, and better than gold,
Known now, and known of old ;
In me you'll find, if you're inclined,
Happiness, health, joy, and wealth.' "

And having truly set Toby a poser, the raven hopped away.

" I'll give it up ! " said Toby at length, after he had long
pondered the matter. " I'll ask Tim in to see if he can find
it out." And away Toby went.

In due time back he came with his friend Tim, and when
they were both seated comfortably, with steaming bowls of
porridge before them, Toby propounded the raven's riddle.
The question was such a poser that Tim paused in dire per-
plexity, with a spoonful of porridge mid-way between the
bowl and his mouth.

" I have it ! " at last he said, excitedly. " We're to go
in search of gold ; for didn't the raven say ' Gold, gold ? ' '

" Ah ! but," replied Toby doubtfully, " how about ' better
than gold ? ' "

" Of course much gold is better than little gold ; and that's
where the riddle is, depend upon it," rejoined Tim, decisively.

" Then we'll start at once," said Toby, quite satisfied ;
" and we'll get Tony Welter to come with us."

Away went the three friends, bent on the search for the
mystic gold, which, as they supposed, was to bring them,
in a very short time, in the words of the raven's riddle —
"Happiness, health, joy, and wealth." On they trudged, over
marsh and mere, over hill and dale, through forests and woods,

24 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

in storm and sunshine, in cold and heat ; but all in vain.
They seemed to be no nearer the end of their search. Instead
of happy and healthy, joyous and wealthy, they were ragged
and footsore, hungry and tired, and sick at heart, too, with
disappointment at their non-Success.

At length one day, when the three little limping figures
were dragging wearily along hand in hand, they came in sight
of a farmyard, rich with ricks of sweet-smelling hay, and
joyous with cackling of hens, and quacking of ducks, and
lowing of cattle. On the gate of the home -field a boy was
swinging merrily, as though he had not a care in the world.
In the field itself a little girl was sitting under a tree fast
asleep ; and lower down, where the dusty road wound towards
the village, a boy was driving a pig home from the market,
and two little children were gazing in open-mouthed wonder,
watching the boy's efforts to induce the pig to move.

" Oh, dear, if we could only get to the end of our wander-
ing!" said Toby. Just then the three friends passed the
farmyard pump, where two little girls were hard at work :
one of them pumping up the water, and the other drawing it
off in pitchers. How blithe they seemed ; and, dear me !
whatever was that they were singing ? —

" Work, work, with all your might,
Never be idle from morn till night ;
For nothing in all the world can compare
With honest labour, free from care.
And every one knows it is better than gold,
It's known now, and was known of old.
Happiness, health, joy, and wealth,
All come from labour, we've been told."

26 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

"Hurrah!" shouted Toby and Tim and Tony simul-
taneously; "we've found it at length. Our troubles are all
over. It's labour the raven meant ; and now we'll go home
and see if the raven and the little girls have spoken truly."

And lo ! the words were hardly out of their mouths before
they turned a corner of the road, and there were their own
homes in sight. Were their troubles really over? Or were
they all dreaming ? and would they soon awake to find them-
selves still trudging wearily over hill and dale ?

# * * # #

" How strange ! " said Toby, rubbing his eyes. " Have I
been dreaming ? " For there was the raven looking at him
very sagely, not saying anything, but croaking as usual ; and
there was Toby lying on the floor of the cottage. " Why I
must have dreamt it all," said he.

And, between you and me, so he had; but he learnt a
lesson from his dream, after all, and profited by it : for he
proved to his friends, in after years, how in honest labour
indeed may be found " Happiness, health, J6y, and wealth."
If you don't quite believe in the raven's advice, try it, and
then judge for yourselves.

" And that's the end of the story," said Nurse. Madge
and Mabel looked at one another rather shame -facedly, but
said nothing. The story was not forgotten by the children,
however ; for a week or two after, when their baby brother was
very troublesome, Madge was overheard telling him the story
with a great deal of emphasis, and though he could scarcely
understand the meaning of it, it was very evident she did.

;

28 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

A YOUNG TUBE.

HE was a young Turk, there could be no doubt about it ! He
was always in mischief — always doing something wrong,
always neglecting what was right. His sister Madge had a
green parrot, of which she was very fond; but if ever she
happened to be feeding or petting it, up would come Chubby,
and quietly commence to pull a long feather out of its tail.
And when he had succeeded in making Madge angry and
miserable, away he would go in search of further mischief.
One day Chubby met a little girl bowling a hoop in the lane
near his father's house, and he seemed to think it great fun
to make his dog Nero bark at the little girl, and frighten
her so that she dropped her hoop and ran away. And then,
with a laugh, Chubby threw the hoop in the pond, and went
home rejoicing. What do you think could be done with a
boy like that? He was scolded and punished, but it was all
of no avail, and his sisters looked upon him as incorrigible.

But one day Chubby's cousin Violet came to stay at the
house, and when she heard of his cruel and disagreeable ways
she was very grieved, and determined to try her best to
improve him. And this was how she began. Instead of
scolding him, or even quietly ignoring him, as though she
looked upon him as altogether bad, she would talk to him
kindly, and play with him, and try to amuse him and keep
him out of mischief. And week by week Chubby improved.
He was only a little boy, and his heart was touched by
Violet's kindness ; and from that time he grew so much nicer
that at last his sisters were quite proud of him.

THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

A WONDEBFUL PIE.

A NEW VERSION OF AN OLD RHYME.

SING a song of sixpence,

A pocket full of rye ;
Four-and-twenty snowballs

Baked in a pie !
When the pie was opened

The snow had gone away.
Wasn't that a pretty dish

To have on Christmas Day ?

A TEA-PAETY.

Twice one are two :
He: "Yes, tea will do!"

Twice two are four :
She : " Just one cup more ?"

Twice three are sice :
He : " Sugar won't mix !"

Twice four are eight :
She : " Stir it and wait."

Twice jive are ten :
"Audit will then!"

Twice one are two :
She : " More milk for you ?"

Twice two are four :
He : " Not any more,"

Twice three are six :
" Miss Beatrix."

Twice four are eight :
" It's getting late !"

Twice five are ten :
She : " Clear away, then ! "

LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

THE CHILDREN'S PATIENT.

FIVE merry faces looked over a wall ;

What could they see, I wonder ?
A lame little bird, and that was all,

Lying the flowers under.

Five merry faces grew very grave,
Down from the wall-top peeping ;

The poor little bird they would like to
So they took him in safe keeping.

" Poor little bird in your cage of gold,

Do you like your home, we wonder ?
Or would you rather be out in the cold ?
And can we have made a blunder ?

Dear little bird ! we wish you well ;

Why can't you grow a bit stronger ?
Then we'll open the door and away you shall sail,

A captive bird no longer !"

But the poor little bird in its cage of gold
Was never to grow and strengthen ;

And it cared not at all its days to hold,
It cared not the time to lengthen.

When the children came on^ sad, sad day,

The bird lay still and quiet ;
And grave were the faces that late were gay,

And hushed were the games and riot.

34 THE " LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

THE CAT AND THE CAKROT.

" How would you like it yourself ? " said the carrot.

" Like what ? " asked Gertie, in open-eyed wonder.

" Why, how would you like to have a nasty cruel fork
thrust into your sides, and then to be torn away from your
comfortable home in the warm earth, and to be left to freeze
in a cold cellar? Here have I been kept in the darkness,
trying so hard to sprout, and to look green and pleasant, but
it has been all in vain? How would you like it yourself?"
repeated the carrot, in an injured and plaintive tone.

Gertie was puzzled to know how to show her sympathy.
" I didn't know you could feel it," at length she replied.

"Other people have feelings besides yourself," said the
carrot, with a world of reproach in his voice.

*****

" You've eaten it all up, and haven't left me a bit ! " said
the cat.

" So I have ! " said Gertie, sorrowfully. " But I didn't
know you were hungry, or I would have offered you some."

" But you ought to have known," replied the cat, " and
that is why I blame you. You're too thoughtless, and you
forget that other people have feelings besides yourself."

" Oh dear," thought Gertie, " the cat and the carrot seem
to have agreed that I am dreadfully selfish, and I try so hard
not to be. But I suppose I am, or they wouldn't say so."

But just then a soft voice whispered this song in her
ears, and she felt much happier afterwards —

" Little Gertie, never mind ; Though your efforts none requite,

Go on trying to be kind ! Always try to do the right ! "

86 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

THE FAIRY FLOWER.

THE red sun set with a laughing smile,

And Rose in the garden lingered awhile.

She had read a tale of a fairy flower

Endowed at eve with magical power,

So that its owner could have at will

Whatever he wished for, good or ill ;

And she almost hoped the summer wind

Would show her this flower so hard to find.

But all in vain her search begun :

Then, half in earnest, half in fun,

She placed her doll in a leafy bower,

And tried to think it the fairy flower.

And was it fancy ? Was it the breeze ?

Or did the doll really speak words like these ?-

" Beware of the flower with magic spell !

List to a tale of what befell

A discontented girl like you,

Who found the flower of gold and blue,

And wished at once that she might play

With golden balls the live-long day.

Alas ! allowed to have her way,

She found that rest could reach her never ;

With golden balls she'd play for ever !

And now, poor child ! the whole day long

She tosses balls, and sings this song —

' Contentment makes one glad and gay ;
Ah me ! ah me ! and well-a-day ! ' "

38 ^THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

•
A PAGE OF POETEAITS.

Some little folk whom many a time
You've met in ancient nursery rhyme.

I. II.

A LASS with face demure and A strange old-fashioned lad

sweet, and lass,

With sunny smile and trip- Who through the village

ping feet : market pass :

The little maiden all for- Oh, Jack and Jill, of famed

lorn, renown,

Who milked the cow with Why need you both have

the crumpled horn. tumbled down ?

in.

Four quaint maidens who dance all day,
Tripping the merry hours away :
Four of the children who lived in a shoe ;
So the rhyme says — do you think it's true ?

iv. v.

A little lad in hat so flat, Three children dancing on

A little lass in green : the ice

Jack Sprat who ate no Upon a morn in May :

fat, The ice fell in, they all fell

His wife who ate no out,

lean. And anger gained the day.

40 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

LOST AND FOUND.

THE STORY OF A WONDERFUL JOURNEY.
I.

PUT'S mother was poor, very poor ; Put's mother was ill, very
ill ; and Put's heart was troubled, very troubled, in consequence.
For Put's was a very tender and loving little heart, and very
brave withal, notwithstanding the fact that Put was only five
years old. And when the doctor said that Put's mother wanted
better food, and careful nursing, and that then she would get
better, Put, although he had but a vague idea what it all
meant, determined to do what he could in the matter.

But how to set about it : that was the question that
puzzled him, as he sat pondering over the doctor's words in the
little garden in front of their cottage. That he must take a
journey to get what he wanted seemed certain : there was no
doubt about it in his mind. This was not what puzzled him,
but the question — what was his mother to do if he went ? for
she had only himself to look after her; and how could she
manage without him ?

While Put was trying to think of some plan by which he
might attain his object and set out on his wonderful journey, a
little girl came out of the next cottage. At the sight of her
Put seemed to see his way clear.

" Ken," said he, in a mysterious whisper, " I am going on
a journey ; I mean to start this very morning, and you must
not tell any one for hours, and hours, and hours ! And then,
while I'm away I want you to look after mother; and if I

42 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

don't get back before it's dark" — Put's heart seemed to quail a
little as he said it — " tell her I've gone to get what the doctor
said she wanted. Do you hear, Ken?"

"I hear, Put," said Ken, rather doubtfully; "but, but ,"

and here Ken burst into tears, and throwing her little arms
round Put's neck, sobbed out, " Oh, Put ! why do you want to

go ? you'll be lost, or ," but her thoughts were too much

for her, and she gave herself up to unrestrained grief.

" Hush, Ken ! " said Put, trying with all his might to keep
back the tears that would trickle down his own cheeks.
" Mother says we must all do our duty, and I must do mine ;"
this last trying to look very pompous.

Put's logic was too much for Ken ; she dried her eyes and
tried to look cheerful while Put gave her his final directions,
all of which she promised to attend to most faithfully. Then,
having put a piece of bread in his pocket, he set out on his
travels, and Ken went in-doors and wept bitterly.

ii.

The sun was setting slowly in the west, and Put was still
tramping along, although he was beginning to feel very tired
and hungry.

Presently he saw, a little way ahead of him, a boy minding
some sheep, and a little girl making a daisy chain.

" I will ask them the way," said Put ; and then for the
first time he recognised the fact that he did not know where
he was going.

" It's no good asking," thought Put ; "I dare say it '11 all
come right if I walk on ;" and the poor tired little limbs were

44 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

in motion once more, and the brave little figure trudged
wearily on.

He was following the beaten pathway across some fields,
when close by a stile he saw a little boy, younger even
than himself. His heart was longing, oh ! so much, for
sympathy and companionship, so he stooped down and
gently kissed the little one. But when the child in return
put one arm lovingly round Put's neck, Put's heart failed him ;
the sense of his own utter loneliness was too much for him,
and he burst into tears. His little companion didn't seem
at all able to understand it, but stood watching Put very
solemnly, and at last, as though a sudden idea of the real
state of the case had flashed upon him, he said, " When me
naughty, me say, ' Pray, Grod, b'ess me, an' make me a good
ickle boy, Amen,' " and then away he trotted off home
across the fields, and Put was alone once more.

Then, although he did not feel himself to be a naughty
boy, he followed the little boy's advice, and, kneeling down
by the hedge-bank, he said his prayers, just as he would
have done at home at his mother's knee. And then, laying
his wee weary head on the bank, he fell asleep.

in.

What a queer little fellow he looked as he trudged along
next morning ! So thought a little girl, who stood at a
cottage watching him crossing the fields. He seemed so little
and so forlorn that she went to meet him, and she looked so kind
and so gentle that he told her his story, and how hungry he was.
Strange to say, the little girl sobbed as he told his tale, and

46 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

put her arms around him and led him home. At the garden
gate, her sister, who had been playing at horses with her little
brother, came out to meet them, and when she heard of Put's
journey and night on the hedge-bank, why, dear me ! the
tears came into her eyes too. Then the two sisters led him
in-doors, and gave him some hot bread-and-milk. They were
left in charge of the cottage, they told Put, for father had
gone to work, and mother "sleeps with the flowers under
the grass in the mossy churchyard."

Having finished his breakfast, Put thought of his mission
once more, and prepared to set out. His new-made friends
were very loth to let him go, but the thought of his mother
urged him on ; so he bade his little hostesses farewell, and
again started on his search, confident that he must succeed
in the end.

IV.

The day had been very hot and baking, and the sultry
afternoon was drawing to its close as Put, very thirsty and
very footsore, limped wearily along a dusty lane. As he
passed along sounds of grief met his ears, and, looking over
the hedge, he saw two little figures sobbing as though their
hearts would break.

"What's the matter?" said Put, feeling quite like a man,
compared with these mites.

" Boo-oo-oo-oo, we've lost our way," said the mites
together.

" Come with me," said Put, grandly ; " I'll take care of
you." And Put, tired as he was, took one of the mites in
either hand, and the trio set out.

48 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

After some time they reached the outskirts of a large
town, and as they were passing down a long straggling street,
suddenly one of the mites uttered a cry of joy, and a huge
black dog rushed up, with loud barks and many signs of
delight. A carriage containing a lady and gentleman soon
followed, and the mites were at once in safe hands. " Pa
and ma," they explained to Put, who began to feel very sad
again, and a strange lump seemed to rise in his throat as he
thought that once more he must go on his way alone.

When the mites had told their story they heard of the
trouble their disappearance had caused : how their absence from
home had been first discovered by the gardener's boy, who told
Frank and Kate (the mite's elder brother and sister) that he
" thought he had seen little master and miss wandering through
the carriage gates into the road;" how Frank and Kate had
grieved over their loss, and how in their parent's absence they
had started off in different directions seeking them : how the
gardener's boy had at last heard of them from a girl in a
roadside cottage, and told their parents, who- had just reached
home, and who at once started in their track.

Next Put had to tell Ms story, and when he spoke of the
setting out, the mites' father and mother laughed heartily, but
when he told of his hunger and weariness, and his night on
the hedge-bank, they looked as though they meant to cry,
as the little girls had done before. Put couldn't make it
out at all.

But the end of it all was that Put was taken into the
carriage with the mites, and, after calling at a large house,
away they started for Put's home.

50 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

What need to tell of the joy and thankfulness of Put's
mother when she saw him return safe and sound, and of
Ken's delight to get her little playfellow again, and to deliver
up to him her trust, which she had executed so faithfully
while he had been away? And how tell of all the good
things that came out of a huge hamper in the carriage,
and were taken in to Put's mother, and of the good nurse
that the mites' parents sent next day, and then of the pleasant
journey to the seaside when Put's mother grew better — she,
and Put, and Ken, all together? All these things, little
readers, you must imagine for yourselves. When I last saw
Put, he was lying on the sand, and saying to Ken —

" It came right, after all, you see. I knew I must go on
a journey to get what mother wanted."

THEEE PET FBOGS.

(To the tune of" Three Blind Mice.")

THREE pet frogs ! three pet frogs !

See how they stand !
They all stand up in a queer little ring,
And they dance and they croak and try hard to sing
Did ever you see such a wonderful thing
As three pet frogs ?

52 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

TO A FISH.

SPARKLE, sparkle, little fish. ;
Would we had you on a dish
Nicely cooked, you then would lie
Like a pigeon in a pie !

Sparkle, sparkle, little one !
How I wonder if the fun
Cooking seems to me and Belle
Would be fun to you as well ?

Flash and sparkle, little fish !
To be cooked is not your wish ;
So beneath the waves so deep
Happy freedom you may keep.

OVEE THE SEA.

OVER the sea,
Over the sea,

Away we go sailing merrily !
Towed by a fish with a line in its mouth,
Sailing away in a tub to the south !
Over the sea,
Over the sea,
Sailing away so merrily !

54 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE EAST WIND.

THE wind blew coldly through, the streets,

And laughed in people's faces,
As if he would say, " I've caught you to-day,

And enjoy your stern grimaces ! "
But the children smiled, and laughing said,

" We like to hear you bellow ;
For, with furs and muff, it is easy enough

To hide from you, old fellow ! "

THE BRIDGE OF DEE.

UPON the bridge, upon the bridge
That crossed the river Dee,

A little lass, a little lass

Stood weeping silently.

A little laddie crossed the bridge —
The bridge above the Dee —

And the little lassie dried her eyes,
And smiled right merrily.

56 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

LITTLE MISS PKIDE.

LITTLE Miss Pride
Loved her own face ;

Looked in the glass
To study its grace !

Oh, woe betide

Little Miss Pride !

A DOLL'S WEDDING.

" THE favour of your company

Is earnestly requested
At a wedding-party, Tuesday next.

The parties interested
Will wed at half -past ten o'clock,

And not a moment later.
N.B. — Be sure you come in time.

red} Johnny Eex the Greater. "

So ran the invitations :

Quick ran the children in.
And merry was the party,

And noisy was the din,
When Jacko married Chloe,

And all the words were said,
And when the nursery bells were rung

To show the dolls were wed.

58 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE POT AND THE KETTLE.

SAID Jack to the kettle —
" Your blackened old metal
Ought by rights to be bright !
Pray get out of my sight ! "

Said the kettle to Jack —
" Which of us is most black —
You the pot, I the kettle —
Would be hard thing to settle ! "

HEY, DIDDLE, DIDDLE!

" The dish ran away with the spoon" said May ;

" Oh dear, that is silly indeed :
For dishes can't go from their places, I know,

Much less run away at full speed ! "

Then she lifted her eyes and, to her surprise,

The dishes and jugs all had faces ;
And each dish itself stepped down from the shelf,

And the plates began to run races.

And an old jug kept time to the wonderful rhyme

Of the cow jumping over the moon.
"Hey, diddle, diddle ! " squeaked he in the middle,

" The dish ran away with the spoon ! "

60 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE GNOMES.

" So you don't believe in gnomes ? " said a queer little cracked
voice. Alice shrank back in surprise, and retreated as far as
the old oak behind her would permit, before she saw the
strange figure addressing her. " So you don't believe in
gnomes," he repeated ; " then come with me, and I will show
you, for ' seeing's believing,' as you mortals say." Then he
stamped with his foot on the ground, and Alice felt they were
sinking far down into the earth. Presently they stopped, and
when Alice had become a little accustomed to the darkness,
she saw that they were in a beautiful cavern, the walls of
which were of gold and precious stones. Hundreds of little
figures were at work, piling and storing the metals in their
places, or wheeling the e^rth away in barrows. " All this is
being done for yog mortals," said the gnome to Alice, in a
reproachful tone, " and yet you say you don't believe in us."
" I'm very sorry," Alice replied. " I'll never say so again, and
I think it 's very good indeed of you to take so much trouble
for us." " Very well," said the gnome, a little mollified ;
" then now you may go home again." And he gave Alice
into the charge of one of the workers. This little sprite
waved his arms above his head, and hey, presto ! they were
standing before the door of Alice's house !

" Papa," said Alice next morning at breakfast, " do you
believe there are such beings as gnomes ? "
" Certainly not," said her papa.
" Well, I know there are, then," said Alice mysteriously.

62 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE SETTING SUN.

THE sun had set beyond the hills,

In a flood of red and yellow.
Said Maud, with a smile, " He'll be back in a while,

He never rests, poor fellow !
The birds are sleeping in their nests,

The flowers their buds are closing ;
But the poor old Sun ! he never rests —

You never find him dozing !
Around he goes in a ceaseless race,

But, alas, he can never win it !
I often think he would like a wink,

If only for a minute !

" I'm bound to have sleep myself ; I know

I cannot do without it !
We all, it is said, must be put to bed !

Indeed, I never doubt it !
Why, even my dollies go to sleep ;

And if ever from rest I borrow,
And keep them up late, on occasion of state,

They're dreadfully ill on the morrow !
And the dear old Sun must be like the rest ;

All work is bad for him, surely !
So I wish I could think when he fades in the west

In his bed he was sleeping securely! "

64 THE " LHTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE SAD STOEY OF LITTLE TOM TAYLOE.

LITTLE Tom Taylor

Sat on a rail, or
A post running out from the shore ;

When past flew a bird :

A loud splash was heard,
And Tommy was seen there no more.

FATHEE WILLIAM.

A NEW VERSION.

" YOU'RE old, Father William," the young man said,
" And by rights should be learned and sage ;

Yet why are you driven, and why are you led,
By a child just a tenth of your age ? "

" In the days of my youth," Father William replied,
" I was headstrong, and would have my way ;

But now I am old, I have humbled my pride,
And have learnt when 'tis best to obey."

66 THE "LITTLE POLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

PBIDE COMES BEFOKE A PALL.

!• i

DICKON and Barbara were to go to school !

Great was the excitement of the children when they heard
the news. ~No more long mornings of study at home ; at last
they were to go to a real school, kept by a real schoolmaster,
and at last they were to learn real lessons ! And what fun
they would have with the other children ! What pleasant
games on sunny half -holidays ! and what jolly prizes they would
win ! " Of course," said Dickon to Barbara, " I shall be in a
higher class than you, Barbara, for you're only a girl, and can't
be expected to know much ; but I am a boy, and a very clever
boy for my age ! I daresay the master will be surprised when
he finds how much I know ! "

Barbara looked down and said nothing. She had distinct
visions of Dickon's idleness in the past, his ill-learnt lessons
and his wasted time, and she was rather afraid he didn't know
as much as she did. I say she was afraid, because Barbara
was a kind-hearted little girl, and she would have wished to
save Dickon from the disappointment that would come if he
discovered that after all he knew less than his sister.

The eventful morning arrived, and Dickon and Barbara
were up early to have a run through the cornfields before
breakfast. Then, as the clock struck nine, away they started,
Dickon carrying the books, Barbara the slates and luncheon.
Very joyously they ran off from the farm, but very sedately

68 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

they walked through the little village up to the door of the
schoolmaster's house. They couldn't have told you why, but
there was no doubt about it : they were nervous.

in.

Oh dear ! oh dear ! poor Dickon's lessons wouldn't come
right ! He had been put in the same class with Barbara after
all, and Barbara had answered all the questions that were asked
her, and had done her sums correctly ; but Dickon seemed only
to have been able to show what a dunce he was ! And as the
clock struck twelve Barbara was free to go, but Dickon must
stop behind to puzzle over his sums, which wouldn't come right.
Barbara's was a very sad face, as she walked sorrowfully past
her brother and out into the bright sunshine. She would have
liked to stay and help Dickon, but the master would not allow
that, and so she went outside, carrying her slate and the
luncheon with her.

IV.

Dickon sat on the low form with his slate before him, and
puzzled over the sum, but he couldn't make it out. The fact
was, his pride had had a fall : he was humiliated, and he didn't
throw his best energies into the work. At length he gave it up
in despair, and turned to watch a great spider who was dropping
down from the ceiling just where the sunshine slanted in
through the narrow casement, and as he watched he saw a slate
slowly appear, pushed gently up in front of the window, and on
the slate was the dreadful sum worked out in bold big figures.
Dickon knew he ought not to look at them, but he did : and
more than that, he transferred them to his slate, showed the
sum to his master, and was free !

70 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

" I couldn't help it," sobbed Barbara, as they sat at lunch
under a shady tree. " I couldn't bear to think of you sitting
there all alone, but I know I've done wrong, and what is
worse, I've made you do wrong too ! "

Dickon looked very grave. He knew he had done wrong
too, but it hadn't struck him so forcibly before. Barbara's
grief was very bitter, and the sight of it awoke all the best
feelings in her brother's heart. " We both have done wrong,
Barbara," said he, "but it was all my fault, and I'll go to
the master this afternoon and tell him all about it."

And Barbara smiled through her tears, and the birds over-
head seemed to sing a glad song of approval.

Dickon kept his word, and the master wasn't angry.
He looked a little sadly at the children first of all ; but when
he had heard the whole stoiy — for Dickon kept nothing back,
not even his expectations of outshining Barbara and astonishing
his school-fellows — he patted them both kindly on the head
and forgave them. But Dickon wished to make some amends
for his fault, and so another sum was set him, even more
difficult than the first. He was a different boy now, however :
his mind was at rest, and the difficulties seemed to vanish
away, so that in a short time he could go to the master and
show him that he was not altogether a dunce after all.

That evening Dickon and Barbara walked home together
hand in hand, and with rather sadder faces than when they set
out in the morning. But they were really happier after all,
and they both felt that they were not ashamed to meet their
parents after their first day at school.

72 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

IN SEAECH OF PLAYLAND.

" OH, dear ! " sighed Violet, " how tired I am of lessons,
lessons, lessons, all day long. How I wish we could go away,
and never learn lessons any more."

Bertie opened his big round eyes in very surprise at the
possibility of such a thing as no more lessons, and heartily
echoed his sister's wish.

"I have it," said Violet, "we'll go to Playland. You
know the rhyme, Bertie, we read the other day —

" ' Beyond the hills,

Among the rills,
The realm of Playland lies j

There girls and boys

Have wondrous toys,
And daylight never dies.'

and so on. Well, there are the hills and the rills far away
over there," pointing out of the school-room window, " and
we'll run away in search of Playland."

Bertie thought this would be great fun, and he was
ready to follow all his sister's directions. So a raid was made
on the kitchen larder, when the cook was out of the way,
Violet's hand-bag was filled with rolls and tarts, and then
the children crept stealthily out of the house, through the
back garden into the paddock, and they were free to commence
their search for Playland.

ii.

After crossing two or three fields, the children met a little

5re*£,

74 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

girl with a pet lamb, and Violet asked her to tell them the
way to Playland. But the little girl stared at her with
open eyes, and said she had never heard of such a place.
" Never mind," said Violet ; " the hills and the rills are far
away yonder, so we cannot be wrong if we keep straight on
towards them."

Soon after this they struck into the road, and their house
was in sight once more. Violet looked back anxiously, fear-
ing lest their governess or one of the servants should see
them and send to fetch them back, but no one was in sight,
and soon the children left the road again and dipped down
into a flowery dell, and the house was lost to sight again.
On they walked, until at length they saw a happy-looking
boy flying a kite, and in the valley beneath they heard the
music of a rippling rill. " Hurrah ! " shouted Violet, " we
must be approaching Playland at last."

in.

How lightly the water leapt over the stones, and how
brightly it sparkled in the sunshine ! Violet and Bertie
were just beginning to feel tired with their walk, and they
thought how refreshing it would be to walk about in the
cool stream. So off" came their shoes and stockings, and soon
they were having a merry time of it — chasing the minnows
in and out under the stones. But even as they lingered in
the brook the skies became overcast, and the rain came down
in torrents, and before they could get their shoes and stockings
on again, they were wet through to the skin.

76 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

" Oh, dear," sobbed Bertie, " I'm so cold and so hungry."
And then the children tried to shelter themselves under a
bush, and Violet gave Bertie some of the tarts and a roll
from her little bag, but, alas ! the rain had reached them too,
and rain does not improve pastry or rolls, does it ?

But Bertie was very cold and miserable, and he felt now
that he could not have eaten the tarts even if they had been
hot from the oven. And Violet was cold too, but she said
nothing about it, and wrapped her frock round Bertie, and
tried to keep the rain from him, and did her best to comfort
him. But it was of no use ; and at last they both lay down
on the damp cold ground and sobbed themselves to sleep.

IV.

The young doctor from the village of Elmthorpe was
driving across the down in his gig, when he heard a sound as
of some one moaning and talking in his sleep. He pulled up
his horse sharply and jumped down. The sounds seemed to
proceed from a clump of bushes a few yards from the beaten
track, and he proceeded thither and found Violet and Bertie
locked in one another's arms. Violet was moaning and talk-
ing, and was apparently in a high fever, so the doctor took
both children up in his arms, carried them to the gig, and
drove rapidly to the nearest cottage. By the time they had
arrived there, Bertie seemed to have recovered his spirits, and
could tell his new friend whence they had come and where
they were going. But Violet was very ill, and her papa was
at once sent for. For days and days she was delirious, and
the old rhyme about Playland was continually on her lips.

78 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

But by slow degrees she recovered, and the first things she
saw on regaining consciousness were the kind faces of her
father and mother bent over her in loving forgiveness. And
when she was quite well she told Bertie the story of her dreams
when she was unconscious.

THE DREAM.

" I fancied," said Violet, " that while we were hiding from
the rain under the bushes, a large open umbrella suddenly
floated down from the sky, and a little voice, that seemed to
come from the handle, said in squeaky tones, ' Gret inside.' I
felt bound to obey ; and directly I had seated myself in the
umbrella it began to rise in the air, and a number of birds flew
round and round me as I soared higher and higher, and they
seemed to sing —

' Kise, rise ! For in the skies
The wondrous realm of Playland lies ! '

On we floated, over houses and trees, over valleys and hills,
right up into the clouds, until at last the umbrella gave a
jerk, and I stood on firm ground once more. And then I
noticed that all the trees, and animals, and birds, were of wood,
just like those in a Noah's ark, and a bird at my feet crowed —

' Cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo !
This is Playland ! Who are you 1 '

And just as I was explaining that my name was Violet, a little
girl — a real little girl — carrying a doll came up, singing —

1 Strangers who with us would stay,
Must work, work, before they play.'

80 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

Then she whistled softly, and a shuttlecock came floating

towards her.

' Shuttlecock of silvery hue,
Find the stranger work to do ! '

she san'g. And at once the shuttlecock floated on, and I felt
bound to follow. "We passed a number of quaint houses, with
strange old gables, and as we went we met a little girl who
looked very terrified, and was followed by a tiny figure like a
mouse, dressed up in our clothes, and carrying a market-basket.

' See, her task is just begun ;
Hours will pass ere it is done !
But I think it rather nice is —
Just to learn the market prices.'

So sang the shuttlecock. And now it seemed that I had
arrived at the scene of my labours. For another queer figure,
the very counterpart of the market-woman, gave me a large
sun-bonnet and an apron, which I put on, and then she led me
beneath an apple-tree, from which the apples dropped slowly
down at irregular intervals. And it seemed that I had to stand
and catch the apples in my outspread apron ; but I was always
obliged to be on the watch for the falling apple, for if I missed
one, the next was sure to fall on my head with a crash, as
though it would split it open. And so for hours I stood, until
my head ached and throbbed, and throbbed and ached, and
then at last — I don't know how it was, but I opened my eyes,
and there stood papa watching me."

" Well, I tell you what it is," said Bertie, as Violet con-^
eluded her story, " I think we had better find our Playland
at home in future." And Violet quite agreed with him.

82 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

MES. MOUSE'S TEA PARTY.

BENEATH a mushroom's spreading shade

A merry party met ;
For eight in all the tea was laid,

And seats were duly set.
Queen Butterfly sat in the chair,

The caterpillar beside her,
With on her left the blackberry,

The hostess, and the spider.
While the acorn with his wrinkled throat,

The beetle prim and neat,
And the ladybird with shining coat

Made the number quite complete.

LITTLE CAVALIEES.

FOUR little maidens of long ago

In quaint mob-caps and dresses,
With faces that smile with a sunny glow

As bright as their golden tresses ;
Four little lads, in coats of brown,

On which the sunshine dances,
With eyes that look demurely down

Or gleam with roguish glances :
Eight little people of olden time,

Happy and smiling and pleasant,
Dropt, like pictures out of their frames,

Suddenly into the present.

84 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

I hear them rush, and see them fly

Swift through the silent places ;
Their laughter rings from the rafters high,

And echoes through empty spaces.
I hear them dance, and hear them sing —

Each little son and daughter —
Old cavalier songs of the absent king —

The king who was over the water —
The king who, they thought, would come again

In the new years hright and golden,
In a blaze of triumph to rule and reign

(In days that now are olden).

And one little couple I plainly see,

Small hand small hand firm grasping,
With a loving touch of sympathy,

Like tendrils interclasping.
Some secret deep they seem to share,

Some plot or plan they're weaving ;
Else why do they stand in converse there,

The other children leaving ?
Ah well ! ah well ! we never can tell,

For the faces are only gleaming
In frames, after all, on the old oak wall;

They are pictures, and I have been dreaming !

86 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

WHEEE TWO WAYS MEET.

WHERE two ways meet the children stand,
A broad fair road on either hand ;
One leads to Eight, and one to Wrong :
So runs the song.

Which will you choose, each lass and lad ?
The right or left, the good or had ?
One leads to Eight, and one to Wrong :
So runs the song.

TWO YOUNG CEUSOES.

HARRY and Ada had been reading the wonderful story of
Eobinson Crnsoe, and nothing would satisfy them but that
they, too, should set out on a series of similar adventures. So,
one day, when the house was quiet, away they went down the
dusty road, across the river, and into the fields. They had
made no preparations, and taken no provisions. " If we are
to do the thing at all," Harry said, " we must do it properly,
and Eobinson Crusoe had positively nothing when he was first
cast on the island, and we will start quite fair with him."

After some hours' wanderings they began to feel hungry, but
they had to content themselves with a handful of blackberries,
and then they made a little nest in a hay-cock, and rested
awhile.

On resuming their journey they saw a man sitting under a
shady tree, and they thought they would ask him where the

88 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

field-path led to ; and when they had asked him and he had
told them, they began to talk to the man about other matters,
until by degrees they had imparted to him — in strict confi-
dence, of course — what was the object of their journey.
When he heard they were going to seek adventures as Crusoe

did, he smiled.

" Poor old Robinson Crusoe,"
he began to sing ;

" Poor old Robinson Crusoe !
They made him a coat
Of an old Nanny goat —
I wonder how they could do so !
With a ring, a ting, tang,
And a ring, a ting, tang,
Poor old Robinson Crusoe ! "

And then he spoke earnestly to the children, and told them
of his own adventures and perils, and of all the hardships
he had himself undergone in consequence of his foolishness
in running away from home to go to sea. And when he had
finished, I don't know how it was, but Harry and Ada both
set their faces homeward, and glad enough they were to get
there, I can tell you.

$£,A, EHYME IN SEASON.

TIME for work and time for play !
Every mood may have its day !

Laugh and smile when you have reason !
But you can't be always gay ;
Dull November follows May ;

Life must have its serious season.

90 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

GETTING UP.

"SEVEN o'clock ! " says nurse at the door.

Kate lifts not her drowsy head.
" Eight o'clock ! " says nurse once more,

But Katie is still in bed.
" Nine o'clock ! " says nurse with a frown.

Kate opens one sleepy eye.
Ten o'clock and Katie comes down,

And the sun is high up in the sky !
Alas ! alas ! when the day is half done
Katie's work is but just begun.

MISCHIEVOUS DICK.

A TERRIBLE boy was mischievous Dick,
Eipe for all manner of meddlesome trick :
Teasing his sisters or breaking their toys,
Annoying his elders by making a noise,
Apparently thinking it very great fun

To be thought a nuisance by every one.

When his sisters were playing at croquet one day
Master Dick came rushing along that way,
With a face of alarm, and breathlessly said,
" Your kitten is burnt, and I think she is dead !"
'Tis needless to add the tale was a hoax :
'Twas only an instance of Master Dick's jokes.

92 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

In the kitchen one morn, when the servants were out,

Dick and a sister were playing about ;

Dick broke a jug, and thought it a game

To leave his sister to bear all the blame !

He never felt that his conduct was mean,

Nor saw himself as he was seen !

Oh, a terrible boy was mischievous Dick !
Eipe for all manner of meddlesome trick :
Teasing his sisters, or breaking their toys,
Creating disturbance, and making a noise,
Apparently thinking it very great fun
To be thought a nuisance by every one !

THE STOEY OF FASTIDIUS AND MISEEEIMA.

" YOU'RE never contented," said Ada to Frank, as they sat
on the window-sill one summer morning eating their porridge.
" You've evidently never heard of the dreadful fate that over-
took Fastidius and Miserrima, or you would not grumble quite
so much."

"Well, what about Fastidius and Miserrima?" asked
Frank.

" I will tell you," said Ada, " if you will listen atten-
tively."

" Once upon a time there lived a brother and sister named
Fastidius and Miserrima. They were alwa}^s discontented,
and would sit for hours grumbling and crying because they
could not do everything exactly as they wished. One day

94 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

they were sitting back to back on the wall of their garden,
crying because — what do you think ? — because they could not
fly like the birds in the air. One of the clouds in the sky
gradually assumed the form of a huge giant, and floated down
towards them.

" ' So you want to fly, do you ? ' said the cloud-spirit.
'Very well, so you shall.'

" And immediately Fastidius and Miserrima found them-
selves sitting on two little mats borne aloft by birds, and then
away they soared, over houses, and trees, and woods, and
mountains, while the little birds sang —

' He who will fly over-high
Will repent it by-and-by.'

" Miserrima seemed to repent at once, for her hair stood on
end with fright, while Fastidius was not much better. But
the worst remains to be told. According to the story, Fastidius
and Miserrima are still floating about above the earth, and
they can never rest or stand on the firm ground again. They
wanted to fly, and they had their way at last."

" That is the story," said Ada with a very solemn air,
" and I hope it will teach you a lesson, Master Frank. Never
grumble, never be discontented, never wish for anything you
cannot have, -or you may meet the terrible fate of Fastidius
and Miserrima.

' Never grumble at your lot,
Never want what you have not j
Better far contented rest,
Trusting what befalls is best.' "

THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

GOOD-BYE.

GOOD-BYE ! good-bye ! the day is done,

And the world is seeking its rest !
Good-bye, good-bye to the fading sun,

Good-bye to the birds in the nest !
Good-bye, good-bye to the children all,

Who have journeyed with me so long ;
Good-bye, good-bye to you, large and small !

Good-bye to story and song !

CASSELL FETTER & GALFIK, BELLE SALVAGE WORKS, LOXIXMT, E.G.

84 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

I hear them rush, and see them fly

Swift through the silent places ;
Their laughter rings from the rafters high,

And echoes through empty spaces.
I hear them dance, and hear them sing —

Each little son and daughter —
Old cavalier songs of the absent king —

The king who was over the water —
The king who, they thought, would come again

In the new years bright and golden,
In a blaze of triumph to rule and reign

(In days that now are olden).

And one little couple I plainly see,

Small hand small hand firm grasping,
With a loving touch of sympathy,

Like tendrils interclasping.
Some secret deep they seem to share,

Some plot or plan they're weaving ;
Else why do they stand in converse there,

The other children leaving ?
Ah well ! ah well ! we never can tell,

For the faces are only gleaming
In frames, after all, on the old oak wall;

They are pictures, and I have heen dreaming !

86 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

WHEEE TWO WAYS MEET.

WHERE two ways meet the children stand,
A broad fair road on either hand ;
One leads to Right, and one to Wrong :
So runs the song.

Which will you choose, each lass and lad ?
The right or left, the good or bad ?
One leads to Eight, and one to Wrong :
So runs the song.

TWO YOUNG CRUSOES.

HARRY and Ada had been reading the wonderful story of
Robinson Cmsoe, and nothing would satisfy them but that
they, too, should set out on a series of similar adventures. So,
one day, when the house was quiet, away they went down the
dusty road, across the river, and into the fields. They had
made no preparations, and taken no provisions. " If we are
to do the thing at all," Harry said, " we must do it properly,
and Robinson Crusoe had positively nothing when he was first
cast on the island, and we will start quite fair with him."

After some hours' wanderings they began to feel hungry, but
they had to content themselves with a handful of blackberries,
and then they made a little nest in a hay-cock, and rested
awhile.

On resuming their journey they saw a man sitting under a
shady tree, and they thought they would ask him where the

88 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

" Poor old Robinson Crusoe,"

he began to sing ;

" Poor old Robinson Crusoe !
They made him a coat
Of an old Nanny goat —
I wonder how they could do so !
With a ring, a ting, tang,
And a ring, a ting, tang,
Poor old Robinson Crusoe ! "

A EHYME IN SEASON.

TIME for work and time for play !
Every mood may have its day !

Laugh and smile when you have reason !
But you can't be always gay ;
Dull November follows May ;

Life must have its serious season.

90 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

GETTING UP.

" SEVEN o'clock ! " says nurse at the door.

Kate lifts not her drowsy head.
" Eight o'clock ! " says nurse once more,

But Katie is still in bed.
" Nine o'clock ! " says nurse with a frown.

Kate opens one sleepy eye.
Ten o'clock and Katie comes down,

And the sun is high up in the sky !
Alas ! alas ! when the day is half done
Katie's work is but just begun.

MISCHIEVOUS DICK.

A TERRIBLE boy was mischievous Dick,
Ripe for all manner of meddlesome trick :
Teasing his sisters or breaking their toys,
Annoying his elders by making a noise,
Apparently thinking it very great fun
To be thought a nuisance by every one.

92 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

In the kitchen one morn, when the servants were out,

Dick and a sister were playing about ;

Dick broke a jug, and thought it a game

To leave his sister to bear all the blame !

He never felt that his conduct was mean,

Nor saw himself as he was seen !

THE STOEY OF FASTIDIUS AND MISEEEIMA.

"Well, what about Fastidius and Miserrima?" asked
Frank.

" I will tell you," said Ada, " if you will listen atten-
tively."

" Once upon a time there lived a brother and sister named
Fastidius and Miserrima. They were always discontented,
and would sit for hours grumbling and crying because they
could not do everything exactly as they wished. One day

94 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

they were sitting back to back 011 the wall of their garden,
crying because — what do you think ? — because they could not
fly like the birds in the air. One of the clouds in the sky
gradually assumed the form of a huge giant, and floated down
towards them.

" ' So you want to fly, do you ? ' said the cloud-spirit.
'Very well, so you shall.'

' He who will fly over-high
Will repent it by-and-by.'

" That is the story," said Ada with a very solemn air,
" and I hope it will teach you a lesson, Master Frank. Never
grumble, never be discontented, never wish for anything you
cannot have, or you may meet the terrible fate of Fastidius
and Miserrima.

' Never grumble at your lot,
Never want what you have not ;
Better far contented rest,
Trusting what befalls is best.' "

THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

GOOD-BYE.

GOOD-BYE ! good-bye ! the day is done,

And the world is seeking its rest !
Good-bye, good-bye to the fading sun,

Good-bye to the birds in the nest !
Good-bye, good-bye to the children all,

Who have journeyed with me so long ;
Good-bye, good-bye to you, large and small !

Good-bye to story and song !

& GALM», BELLE SAtTVAG* WOHK8, LONDON, E.C.

50,479.

THE "LimE FOLKS'

PAINTING BOOK

A SERIES OF

OUTLINE ENGRAVINGS FOR WATER-COLOUR PAINTING,
BY KATE GREENAWAY,

WITH DESCRIPTIVE STORIES AND VERSES BY GEORGE WEA.TIIERLY.

CASSELL FETTER & GAL PIN

LONDON, PARIS $ NEW YORK.

PAGE

FIVE LITTLE RHYMES 10

A NUTTING SONG 12 /'

SUNBEAM, HILARY, AND LACRYMOSUS 14 TO

THE OWL'S ADVICE 16 f

THREE LITTLE FISHES 18

WONDERLAND 18 "

THE EAVEN'S KIDDLE : A TALE OF MAGIC AND MEANING 20 ^

A YOUNG TURK 28

A WONDERFUL PIE 30

A TEA-PARTY 30

THE CHILDREN'S PATIENT 32

THE CAT AND THE CARROT 34

THE FAIRY FLOWER 36

A PAGE OF PORTRAITS 38

LOST AND FOUND: THE STORY OF A WONDERFUL JOURNEY 40

THREE PET FROGS 50

To A FISH 52

OVER THE SEA 52

THE EAST WIND 54

THE BRIDGE OF DEE 54

LITTLE Miss PRIDE .56

vi CONTENTS.

PASS

A DOLL'S WEDDING 56

THE POT AND THE KETTLE 58

HEY, DIDDLE, DIDDLE! 58

THE GNOMES 60

THE SETTING SUN 62

THE SAD STORY OF LITTLE TOM TAYLOK 64

FATHER WILLIAM: A NEW VERSION 64

PRIDE COMES BEFORE A FALL 66

IN SEARCH OF PLAYLAND 72

MRS. MOUSE'S TEA-PARTY 82

LITTLE CAVALIERS 82

WHERE Two WAYS MEET 86

Two YOUNG CRUSOES 86

A RHYME IN SEASON 88

GETTING UP 90

MISCHIEVOUS DICK 90

THE STORY OF FASTIDIUS AND MISERRIMA 92

GOOD-BYE . 96

THE " LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK is
essentially what its title implies — a book of
pictures, to be coloured by young people. The
majority of the sketches, which exceed a
hundred in number, are in outline, and all
are especially adapted for painting in water-
colours. The Frontispiece has been coloured
by hand, to show in some measure how the
rest of the book may be painted. It is, of course, apparent
that, in a book of this description, the talents of young artists
must be chiefly directed to the fitting choice of colours, and
their harmonious arrangement.

viii PREFACE.

Two of the stories, i.e., " The Eaven's Eiddle : a Tale of
Magic and Meaning ; " and " Lost and Found : The Story of
a Wonderful Journey," have already appeared in a modified
form in " LITTLE FOLKS " Magazine. The remaining stories
and verses are published now for the first time.

It remains to mention that Special Prize Competitions for
colouring this book have been instituted in connection with
"LITTLE FOLKS" Magazine, in which Prizes in Money and
Medals in Silver and Bronze are offered for competition. A
noteworthy feature of the scheme consists in the fact that all
coloured books sent to the Editor of the Magazine will, at
the close of the Competition, be distributed among the little
sick inmates of the Children's Hospitals. It is hoped that by

PREFACE.

THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

FIVE LITTLE RHYMES.

ii.

LITTLE lass and laddie there,
Blowing bubbles light as
air

All the day ;
Is there nothing you can

do?

Nothing noble, nothing true,
In your way ?

Work there is for eveiy

one !

Duties you have left un-
done

Wait you still !
Do your duty ; do the right :
Then blow bubbles fairy-light
If you will.

Three little boys,

So chubby and neat,
Sat on a doorstep,

Out in the street ;
Each of them wishing, as boys will

do,

Wishing for something wondrous
and new.

Three little boys,

Grown old and grey,
Sitting at home

On a winter's day;
Each of them wishing, still wishing,

alas !

For something that never would
come to pass.

Eight ! left ! Right ! left ! point your toes so merrily !

Right ! left ! Right ! left ! keeping time so cheerily !

With cheery hearts and faces gay, Speed the merry hours away !

IV.

Butterfly, butterfly, on a sun-
flower,

What are you doing, I pray 1
Come here and whisper, if you have

the power,

Where you have been to-day.
And where did you hide from the

force of the shower I
And when are you going away?

Two little old women sat working
one day!

Knit ! knit ! knit !
And one was cross and the other
was gay !

Knit ! knit ! knit !
While the hours and years run fast
away,

Flit ! flit ! flit !

12 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

A NUTTING SONG. *

Ofc, but the nuts are so brown in the wood —
Qnt in the wood, the glad autumn wood —
And the children have trooped forth in rollicking mood,
Some clad in tippet and some clad in hood,
After the nuts so brown in the wood,
After the nuts so brown.

Oh, but the nuts are so ripe on the tree —

Up in the tree, the green hazel tree —
And bright little eyes smile the clusters to see,
And fat little hands clasp the branches with glee,

Seeking the nuts so ripe on the tree,
Seeking the nuts so brown.

Oh, but the nuts are so high on the bough —
Up on the bough, the heavy -branched bough — :

And short little arms cannot get them, I trow !

" By hook or by crook " they are reaching them now,
Eeaching the nuts so high on the bough,
Eeaching the nuts so brown.

Oh, but the nuts were so brown in the wood —

•i, MI,- •***"**•"''+&&***'*!!*,,' MH,

;7gg^^> ' J/{!»W*3* '*.

14 THE "LITTLE POLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

SUNBEAM, HILABY, AND LACEYMOSUS.

Now it happened that one day, when Hilary and Sunbeam
and Lacrymosus were sitting on the garden wall, amusing
themselves in the usual way — namely, by laughing and crying —
they all three fell asleep, and they all dreamt the same strange
dream. They dreamt that they saw in the garden beneath
them a little boy and girl about their own age, but dressed in
quaint clothes of some long-ago time, and that one of them was
laughing and the other crying. But suddenly a queer little
sprite, looking very much like an inverted flower-pot, made his
appearance, and at sight of him both the children were awed
into silence. " Don't be afraid," said he, " but follow me !"
And immediately the scene changed, and they were standing
in the courtyard of a large castle, and were watching the antics
of a little girl who was dancing some strange dance with a
merry -looking old dame. At first the little girl's face was very
grave and solemn, but as she danced it grew brighter and
brighter, until at last she was positively laughing with glee,
and her eyes twinkled merrily. The children looked at the

18 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

THEEE LITTLE FISHES.

THREE little fishes leapt in the sun,
Just as the joyous June day had begun :
Leapt in the sunshine and frolicked with glee,
Poor little three !

A glad little maiden sat in the sun —
Sat on the "bridge when the day had begun,
Angling for fishes, large, small, or wee,
All she could see.

Three little fishes leapt in the sun,
Thinking the fishing was very great fun ;
" We're not to be caught ! oh no, not we ! "
Wise little three !

Three little fishes leapt in the sun ;
The little lass hooked them one by one !
The bait was too tempting for them, you see,
Poor little three !

WONDERLAND.

HAVE you ever been to Wonderland, "Would you like to go to Wonderland.

To Wonderland, to Wonderland ? To Wonderland, to Wonderland ]

Have you ever seen the heroes grand — Then sit by me, and, book in hand,

The giants and gnomes, We'll read and read,

The fairy homes And be indeed

Of the dwellers in Wonderland] With the dwellers in Wonderland.

20 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE KAVEN'S KIDDLE.

A TALE OF MAGIC AND MEANING.

IT was a warm sunny afternoon in August, and Madge and
Mabel were wandering disconsolately round a large rambling
garden, while Nurse sat in an old-fashioned arm-chair on the
prim lawn and sipped her tea contentedly. Madge and Mabel
had been tired of lessons in the morning, and now, in the
afternoon, they were tired of play. Like " the old woman
who lived in a shoe" — though from a very different cause —
they " didn't know what to do ; " and Nurse, as she watched
them, soon saw what was the matter. " Come here, children,"
said she, " and I will read you a little story."

THE RAVEN'S RIDDLE.

"I can't make it out at all," said Toby, as he stood,
deep in thought, sucking his fat little thumb.

" Can't make what out ? " croaked the raven at his feet.

Toby looked down in surprise when the bird spoke ; he was
so astonished that he did not know how to reply. But the
raven only looked at him calmly, and again croaked forth,
" Can't make what out?"

" It's just this," said Toby at length : " Why are some
people so happy, having all they want, and with nice things
to eat every day ? and why am I so miserable, getting nothing
but porridge? It's just that!" wound up Toby, looking
fixedly at the raven, as though he had set him a poser.

" Ha ! ha ! " croaked the raven. " I'll give you a riddle,

22 THE " LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

and when you've found it out, you'll have found the answer
to your question also : —

' Gold, gold, and better than gold,
Known now, and known of old ;
In me you'll find, if you're inclined,
Happiness, health, joy, and wealth.' "

And having truly set Toby a poser, the raven hopped away.

" I'll give it up ! " said Toby at length, after he had long
pondered the matter. " I'll ask Tim in to see if he can find
it out." And away Toby went.

" I have it ! " at last he said, excitedly. " We're to go
in search of gold ; for didn't the raven say ' Grold, gold ? ' '

" Ah ! but," replied Toby doubtfully, " how about ' better
than gold ? ' '

" Of course much gold is better than little gold ; and that's
where the riddle is, depend upon it," rejoined Tim, decisively.

" Then we'll start at once," said Toby, quite satisfied ;
" and we'll get Tony Welter to come with us."

Away went the three friends, bent on the search for the
mystic gold, which, as they supposed, was to bring them,
in a very short time, in the words of the raven's riddle —
" Happiness, health, joy, and wealth." On they trudged, over
marsh and mere, over hill and dale, through forests and woods,

24 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

At length one day, when the three little limping figures
were dragging wearily along hand in hand, they came in sight
of a farmyard, rich with ricks of sweet- smelling hay, and
joyous with cackling of hens, and quacking of ducks, and
lowing of cattle. On the gate of the home-field a boy was
swinging merrily, as though he had not a care in the world.
In the field itself a little girl was sitting under a tree fast
asleep ; and lower down, where the dusty road wound towards
the village, a boy was driving a pig home from the market,
and two little children were gazing in open-mouthed wonder,
watching the boy's efforts to induce the pig to move.

" Oh, dear, if we could only get to the end of our wander-
ing ! " said Toby. Just then the three friends passed the
farmyard pump, where two little girls were hard at work :
one of them pumping up the water, and the other drawing it
off in pitchers. How blithe they seemed ; and, dear me !
whatever was that they were singing ? —

26 . THE " LITTLE FOLKS," PAINTING BOOK.

" Hurrah ! " shouted Toby and Tim and Tony simul-
taneously; "we've found it at length. Our troubles are all
over. It's labour the raven meant ; and now we'll go home
and see if the raven and the little girls have spoken truly."

And lo ! the words were hardly out of their mouths before
they turned a corner of the road, and there were their own
homes in sight. Were their troubles really over ? Or were
they all dreaming ? and would they soon awake to find them-
selves still trudging wearily over hill and dale ?

* # * * * •

And, between you and me, so he had ; but he learnt a
lesson from his dream, after all, and profited by it : for he
proved to his friends, in after years, how in honest labour
indeed may be found " Happiness, health, joy, and wealth."
If you don't quite believe in the raven's advice, try it, and
then judge for yourselves.

28 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

A YOUNG TUEK.

HE was a young Turk, there could be no doubt about it ! He
was always in mischief — always doing something wrong,
always neglecting what was right. His sister Madge had a
green parrot, of which she was very fond; but if ever she
happened to be feeding or petting it, up would come Chubby,
and quietly commence to pull a long feather out of its tail.
And when he had succeeded in making Madge angry and
miserable, away he would go in search of further mischief.
One day Chubby met a little girl bowling a hoop in the lane
near his father's house, and he seemed to think it-great fun
to make his dog Nero bark at the little girl, and frighten
her so that she dropped her hoop and ran away. And then,
with a laugh, Chubby threw the hoop in the pond, and went
home rejoicing. What do you think could be done with a
boy like that? He was scolded and punished, but it was all
of no avail, and his sisters looked upon him as incorrigible.

But one day Chubby's cousin Violet came to stay at the
house, and when she heard of his cruel and disagreeable ways
she was very grieved, and determined to try her best to
improve him. And this was how she began. Instead of
scolding him, or even quietly ignoring him, as though she
looked upon him as altogether bad> she would talk to him
kindly, and play with him, and try to amuse him and keep
him out of mischief. And week by week Chubby improved.
He was only a little boy, an^ his heart \\ds touched by
Violet's kindness ; and from that time he grow so 'mich nicer
that at last his sisters were quite proud of him.

THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

A WONDEKFUL PIE.

A NEW VERSION OF AN OLD RHYME.

SING a song of sixpence,

A pocket full of rye ;
Four-and-twenty snowballs

Baked in a pie !
When the pie was opened

The snow had gone away.
Wasn't that a pretty dish

To have on Christmas Day ?

A TEA-PAETY.

Twice one are two :
He: "Yes, tea will do!"

Twice two are four :
She : " Just one cup more ?"

Twice three are six :
He : " Sugar won't mix !"

Twice four are eight :
She : " Stir it and wait."

Twice jive are ten:
"And it will then!"

Twice one are two :
She : " More milk for you ?'

Twice two are four :
He : " Not any more,"

Twice three are six :
"Miss Beatrix."

Twice four are eight :
"It's getting late !"

Twice Jive are ten :
S/ie : " Clear away, then ! "

32 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE CHILDKEN'S PATIENT.

FIVE merry faces looked over a wall ;

What could they see, I wonder ?
A lame little bird, and that was all,

Lying the flowers under.

Five merry faces grew very grave,

Down from the wall- top peeping ;
The poor little bird they would like to save,

So they took him in safe keeping.

" Poor little bird in your cage of gold,

Do you like your home, we wonder ?
Or would you rather be out in the cold ?
And can we have made a blunder ?

" Dear little bird ! we wish you well ;

Why 'can't you grow a bit stronger ?
Then we'll open the door and away you shall sail,
A captive bird no longer !"

But the poor little bird in its cage of gold
Was never to grow and strengthen ;

And it cared not at all its days to hold,
It cared not the time to lengthen.

When the children came one sad, sad day,

The bird lay still and quiet ;
And grave were the faces that late were gay,

And hushed were the games and riot.

34 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE CAT AND THE CARROT.

" How would you like it yourself ? " said the carrot.

" Like what ? " asked Gertie, in open-eyed wonder.

" Why, how would you like to have a nasty cruel fork
thrust into your sides, and then to be torn away from your
comfortable home in the warm earth, and to be left to freeze
in a cold cellar? Here have I been kept in the darkness,
trying so hard to sprout, and to look green and pleasant, but
it has been all in vain ? How would you like it yourself ? "
repeated the carrot, in an injured and plaintive tone.

Grertie wras puzzled to know how to show her sympathy.
" I didn't know you could feel it," at length she replied.

" Other people have feelings besides yourself," said the
carrot, with a world of reproach in his voice.

* * * * *

" You've eaten it all up, and haven't left me a bit ! " said
the cat.

" So I have ! " said Grertie, sorrowfully. " But I didn't
know you were hungry, or I would have offered you some."

" But you ought to have known," replied the cat, " and
that is why I blame you. You're too thoughtless, and you
forget that other people have feelings besides yourself."

" Oh dear," thought Grertie, " the cat and the carrot seem
to have agreed that I am dreadfully selfish, and I try so hard
not to be. But I suppose I am, or they wouldn't say so."

But just then a soft voice whispered this song in her
ears, and she felt much happier afterwards —

" Little Gertie, never mind ; Though your efforts none requite,

Go o^ trying to be kind ! Always try to do the right ! "

36 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE FAIRY FLOWER.

THE red sun set with a laughing smile,

And Rose in the garden lingered awhile.

She had read a tale of a fairy flower

Endowed at eve with magical power,

So that its owner could have at will

Whatever he wished for, good or ill ;

And she almost hoped the summer wind

Would show her this flower so hard to find.

But all in vain her search begun :

Then, half in earnest, half Ajrf un^. .

She placed her- doll in a leafy bower,

And tried to think it the fairy flower.

And was it fancy ? Was it the breeze ?

Or did the doll really speak words like these ?-

" Beware of the flower with magic spell !

List to a tale of what befell

A discontented girl like you,

Who found the flower of gold and blue,

And wished at once that she might play

With golden balls the live -long day.

Alas ! allowed to have her way,

She found that rest could reach her never ;

With golden balls she'd play for ever !

And now, poor child ! the whole day long

She tosses balls, and sings this song —

' Contentment makes one glad and gay ;
Ah me ! ah me ! and well-a-day ! ' '

38 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

A PAGE OF POETEAITS.

Some little folk whom many a time
You've met in ancient nursery rhyme.

I. II.

A LASS with face demure and A strange old-fashioned lad

sweet, and lass,

With sunny smile and trip- Who through the village

ping feet : market pass :

The little maiden all for- Oh, Jack and Jill, of famed

lorn, renown,

Who milked the cow with Why need you both have

the crumpled horn. tumbled down ?

in.

Four quaint maidens who dance all day,
Tripping the merry hours away :
Four of the children who lived in a shoe ;
So the rhyme says — do you think it's true ?

IV. V.

A little lad in hat so flat, Three children dancing on

A little lass in green : the ice

Jack Sprat who ate no Upon a morn in May :

fat, The ice fell in, they all fell

His wife who ate no out,

lean. And anger gained the day.

40 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

LOST AND FOUND.

THE STORY OF A WONDERFUL JOURNEY.
I.

42 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

don't get back before it's dark" — Put's heart seemed to quail a
little as lie said it — " tell her I've gone to get what the doctor
said she wanted. Do you hear, Ken ?"

" I hear, Put," said Ken, rather doubtfully; "but, but ,"

and here Ken burst into tears, and throwing her little arms
round Put's neck, sobbed out, " Oh, Put ! why do you want to

go ? you'll be lost, or ," but her thoughts were too much

for her, and she gave herself up to unrestrained grief.

" Hush, Ken !" said Put, trying with all his might to keep
back the tears that would trickle down his own cheeks.
" Mother says we must all do our duty, and I must do mine ;"
this last trying to look very pompous.

ii.

The sun was setting slowly in the west, and Put was still
tramping along, although he was beginning to feel very tired
and hungry.

Presently he saw, a little way ahead of him, a boy minding
some sheep, and a little girl making a daisy chain.

" I will ask them the way," said Put ; and then for the
first time he recognised the fact that he did not know where
he was going.

" It's no good asking," thought Put ; "I dare say it '11 all
come right if I walk on ;" and the poor tired little limbs were

44 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

in motion once more, and the brave little figure trudged
wearily on.

He was following the beaten pathway across some fields,
when close by a stile he saw a little boy, younger even
than himself. His heart was longing, oh ! so much, for
sympathy and companionship, so he stooped down and
gently kissed the little one. But when the child in return
put one arm lovingly round Put's neck, Put's heart failed him ;
the sense of his own utter loneliness was too much for him,
and he burst into tears. His little companion didn't seem
at all able to understand it, but stood watching Pat very
solemnly, and at last, as though a sudden idea of the real
state of the case had flashed upon him, he said, " When me
naughty, me say, ' Pray, God, b'ess me, an' make me a good
ickle boy, Amen,' " and then away he trotted off home
across the fields, and Put was alone once more.

in.

46 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

Having finished his breakfast, Put thought j of his mission
once more, and prepared to set out. His new-made friends
were very loth to let him go, but the thought of his mother
urged him on ; so he bade his little hostesses farewell, and
again started on his search, confident that he must succeed
in the end.

IV.

" What's the matter?" said Put, feeling quite like a man,
compared with these mites.

" Boo-oo-oo-oo, we've lost our way," said the mites
together.

" Come with me," said Put, grandly ; " I'll take care of
you." And Put, tired as he was, took one of the mites in
either hand, and the trio set out.

48 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

When the mites had told their story they heard of the
trouble their disappearance had caused : how their absence from
home had been first discovered by the gardener's boy, who told
Frank and Kate (the mite's elder brother and sister) that he
" thought he had seen little master and miss wandering through
the carriage gates into the road;" how Frank and Kate had
grieved over their loss, and how in their parent's absence they
had started off in different directions seeking them : how the
gardener's boy had at last heard of them from a girl in a
roadside cottage, and told their parents, who had just reached
home, and who at once started in their track.

Next Put had to tell his story, and when he spoke of the
setting out, the mites' father and mother laughed heartily, but
when he told of his hunger and weariness, and his night on
the hedge-bank, they looked as though they meant to cry,
as the little girls had done before. Put couldn't make it
out at all.

But the end of it all was that Put was taken into the
carriage with the mites, and, after calling at a large house,
away they started for Put's home.

50 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

Wliat need to tell of the joy and thankfulness of Put's
mother when she saw him return safe and sound, and of
Ken's delight to get her little playfellow again, and to deliver
up to him her trust, which she had executed so faithfully
while he had been away? And how tell of all the good
things that came out of a huge hamper in the carriage,
and were taken in to Put's mother, and of the good nurse
that the mites' parents sent next day, and then of the pleasant
journey to the seaside when Put's mother grew better — she,
and Put, and Ken, all together? All these things, little
readers, you must imagine for yourselves. When I last saw
Put, he was lying on the sand, and saying to Ken —

"It came right, after all, you see. I knew I must go on
a journey to get what mother wanted."

THEEE PET FBOGS.

(To tJie tune of " Three Mind Mice.")

THREE pet frogs ! three pet frogs !

See how they stand !
They all stand up in a queer little ring,
And they dance and they croak and try hard to sing ;
Did ever you see such a wonderful thing
As three pet frogs ?

52 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

TO A FISH.

SPARKLE, sparkle, little fish ;
Would we had you on a disn*
Nicely cooked, you then would lie
Like a pigeon in a pie !

Sparkle, sparkle, little one !
How I wonder if the fun
Cooking seems to me and ^elle
Would be fun to you as well ?

Flash and sparkle, little fish !
To be cooked is not your wish ;
So beneath the waves so deep
Happy freedom you may keep.

OVEE THE SEA.

OVER the sea,
Over the sea,

Away we go sailing merrily !
Towed by a fish with a line in its mouth,
Sailing away in a tub to the south !
Over the sea,
Over the sea,
Sailing away so merrily !

54 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE EAST WIND.

THE wind blew coldly through the streets,

And laughed in people's faces,
As_if he would say, " I've caught you to-day,

And enjoy your stern grimaces ! "
But the children smiled, and laughing said,

" We like to hear you bellow ;
For, with furs and muff, it is easy enough

To hide from you, old fellow ! "

THE BBIDGE OF DEE.

UPON the bridge, upon the bridge
That crossed the river Dee,

A little lass, a little lass

Stood weeping silently.

A little laddie crossed the bridge —
The bridge above the Dee —

And the little lassie dried her eyes,
And smiled right merrily.

56 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

LITTLE MISS PEIDE.

LITTLE Miss Pride
Loved her own face ;

Looked in the glass
To study its grace !

Oh, woe betide

Little Miss Pride !

A DOLL'S WEDDING.

" THE favour of your company

Is earnestly requested
At a wedding-party, Tuesday next.

The parties interested
Will wed at half -past ten o'clock,

And not a moment later.
N.B. — Be sure you come in*time.

(Signed] Johnny Eex the Greater."

So ran the invitations :

Quick ran the children in.
And merry was the party,

And noisy was the din,
When Jacko married Chloe,

And all the words were said,
And when the nursery hells were rung

To show the dolls were wed.

58 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE POT AND THE KETTLE.

SAID Jack to the kettle —
" Your blackened old metal
Ought by rights to be bright !
Pray get out of my sight ! "

Said the kettle to Jack —
" Which of us is most black —
You the pot, I the kettle —
Would be hard thing to settle ! "

HEY, DIDDLE, DIDDLE!

" The dish ran away with the spoon," said May ;

" Oh dear, that is silly indeed :
For dishes can't go from their places, I know,

Much less run away at full speed ! "

Then she lifted her eyes and, to her surprise,

The dishes and jugs all had faces ;
And each dish itself stepped down from the shelf,

And the plates began to run races.

And an old jug kept time to the wonderful rhyme

Of the cow jumping over the moon.
" Hey, diddle, diddle ! " squeaked he in the middle,

" The dish ran away with the spoon ! "

60 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE GNOMES.

" So you don't believe in gnomes ? " said a queer little cracked
voice. Alice shrank back in surprise, and retreated as far as
the old oak behind her would permit, before she saw the
strange figure addressing her. " So you don't believe in
gnomes," he repeated ; " then come with me, and I will show
you, for ' seeing's believing,' as you mortals say." Then he
stamped with his foot on the ground, and Alice felt they were
sinking far down into the earth. Presently they stopped, and
when Alice had become a little accustomed to the darkness,
she saw that they were in a beautiful cavern, the walls of
which were of gold and precious stones. Hundreds of little
figures were at work, piling and storing the metals in their
places, or wheeling the earth away in barrows. " All this is
being done for you mortals," said the gnome to Alice, in a
reproachful tone, " and yet you say you don't believe in us."
" I'm very sorry," Alice replied. " I'll never say so* again, and
I think it 's very good indeed of you to take so much trouble
for us." " Very well," said the gnome, a little mollified ;
" then now you may go home again." And he gave Alice
into the charge of one of the workers. This little sprite
waved his arms above his head, and hey, presto ! they were
standing before the door of Alice's house !

" Papa," said Alice next morning at breakfast, " do you
believe there are such beings as gnomes ? "
" Certainly not," said her papa. * ^
" Well, I know there are, then," saia Alice mysteriously.

>—*MM*

— J

62 I THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE SETTING SUN.

THE sun had set beyond the hills,

In a flood of red and yellow.
Said Maud, with a smile, " He'll be back in a while,

He never rests, poor fellow !
The birds are sleeping in their nests,

The flowers their buds are closing ;
But the poor old Sun ! he never rests —

You never find him dozing !
Around he goes in a ceaseless race,

But, alas, he can never win it !
I often think he would like a wink,

If only for a minute !

"I'm bound to have sleep myself; I know

I cannot do without it !
We all, it is said, must be put to bed !

Indeed, I never doubt it !
Why, even my dollies go to sleep ;

And if ever from rest I borrow,
And keep them up late, on occasion of state,

They're dreadfully ill on the morrow ! '
And the dear old Sun must be like the rest ; : *•

All work is bad for him, surely !
So I wish I could think when he fades in the west

In his bed be was sleeping securely ! "

64 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE SAD STORY OF LITTLE TO^I TAYLOE.

LITTLE Tom Taylor

Sat on a rail, or
A post running out from the shore ;

When past flew a bird :

A loud splash was heard,
And Tommy was seen there no more.

FATHEE WILLIAM.

A NEW VERSION.

" YOU'RE old, Father William," the young man said,
" And by rights should be learned and sage ;

Yet why are you driven, and why are you led,
By a child just a tenth of your age ? "

" In the days of my youth," Father William replied,
" I was headstrong, and would have my way ;

But now I am old, I have humbled my pride,
And have learnt when 'tis best to obey."

66 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

PEIDE COMES BEFOEE A FALL.

i.
DICKON and Barbara were to go to school !

Great was the excitement of the children when they heard
the news. No more long mornings of study at home ; at last
they were to go to a real school, kept by a real schoolmaster,
and at last they were to learn real lessons ! And what fun
they would have with the other children ! What pleasant
games on sunny half -holidays ! and what jolly prizes they would
win ! "Of course," said Dickon to Barbara, " I shall be in a
higher class than you, Barbara, for you're only a girl, and can't
be expected to know much ; but I am a boy, and a very clever
boy for my age ! I daresay the master will be surprised when
he finds how much I know ! "

68 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

they walked through the little village up to the door of the
schoolmaster's house. They couldn't have told you why, but
there was no doubt about it : they were nervous.

in.

IV.

70 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

And Barbara smiled through her tears, and the birds over-
head seemed to sing a glad song of approval.

Dickon kept his word, and the master wasn't angry.
He looked a little sadly at the children first of all ; but when
he had heard the whole story — for Dickon kept nothing back,
not even his expectations of outshining Barbara and astonishing
his school-fellows — he patted them both kindly on the head
and forgave them. But Dickon wished to make some amends
for his fault, and so another sum was set him, even more
difficult than the first. He was a different boy now, however :
his mind was at rest, and the difficulties seemed to vanish
away, so that in a short time he could go to the master and
show him that he was not altogether a dunce after all.

72 THE "LITTLE FOLKS" PAINTING BOOK.

IN SEAECH OF PLAYLAND.

" OH, dear ! " sighed Violet, " how tired I am of lessons,
lessons, lessons, all day long. How I wish we could go away,
and never learn lessons any more."

Bertie opened his big round eyes in very surprise at the
possibility of such a thing as no more lessons, and heartily
echoed his sister's wish.

"I have it," said Violet, "we'll go to Playland. You
know the rhyme, Bertie, we read the other day —

" ' Beyond the hills,

Among the rills,
The realm of Playland lies ;

There girls and boys

Have wondrous toys,
And daylight never dies.'

and so on. Well, there are the hills and the rills far away
over there," pointing out of the school-room window, "and
we'll run away in search of Playland."

their search for Playland.

ii.

After crossing two or three fields, the children met a little

74 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

m. -

How lightly the water leapt over the stones, and how
brightly it sparkled in the sunshine ! Violet and Bertie
were just beginning to feel tired with their walk, and they
thought how refreshing it would be to walk about in the
cool stream. So off came their shoes and stockings, and soon
they were having a merry time of it — chasing the minnows
in and out under the stones. But even as they lingered in
the brook the skies became overcast, and the rain came down
in torrents, and before they could get their shoes and stockings
on again, they were wet through to the skin.

76 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

IV.

78 THE " LITTLE FOLKS " PAINTING BOOK.

THE DREAM.

' Rise, rise ! For in the skies
The wondrous realm of Playland lies ! '

' Cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo !
This is Playland ! Who are you 1 \

And just as I was explaining that my name was Violet, a little
girl — a real little girl — carrying a doll came up, singing —

' Strangers who with us would stay,
Must work, work, before they play.'

... —

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Full text of "The "Little folks" painting book : a series of outline engravings for water-colour painting"

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